MCLA Gallery 51 Presents 'At Water's Edge: Thresholds of Memory'

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Gallery 51 at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will present "At Water's Edge: Thresholds of Memory," paintings by Andrae Green.
 
The exhibition opens July 11 and runs through September 11, 2026, with a reception Friday, Aug. 7 from 5-7 p.m.
 
According to a press release: 
 
The exhibition title captures both the physical environment and the psychological depth of Andrae Green's recent narrative paintings. To stand at water's edge is to inhabit a classic liminal space—a boundary where land, air, and sea meet and dissolve into one another. For Green, this threshold is not merely a geographic marker, but a profound site of memory and transformation. Fragmented scenes, layered imagery, and shifting perspectives create a feeling of dislocation. Figures often appear suspended, or at a threshold, mirroring their unstable environments. The paintings evoke fluid, non-linear histories that transcend a single moment, collapsing past and present into a singular, psychological space.
 
Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Andrae Green discovered art through Marvel and DC comic books—the only art resources available where he grew up. In a community grappling with economic hardship, social upheaval, and violence, he found refuge in art, school, and church. These formative experiences continue to shape Green's aesthetic, balancing existential inquiry with resilience.
 
Green's distinctions include serving as the 2019 Experience Jamaique in Geneva Artist-in-Residence, representing Jamaica at the Beijing Biennale on five occasions, and acting as the U.S. representative at the Salon de Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. His paintings have been showcased internationally at the National Gallery of Jamaica, Maddox Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Southampton Arts Center in New York. His first museum solo exhibition, "Palindrome: Back to Hope," took place at the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts. In 2025, Green was awarded second place in the Danforth Museum annual juried exhibition and received a non-studio residency at the Boston Art Center, which culminated in his solo exhibition "Paradise Mash-up" at the Mills Gallery, curated by Natalie DeJesus and Tiara Brown. Recent exhibitions include "Peripheral Visions" with partner Priya N. Green at OOO Easthampton Project Space, "Bridges of Belonging—Where Paths Converge" at Seven Bridges Foundation, and "Women Rising" at KNOWHEREART in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.
 
"At Water's Edge: Thresholds of Memory" will be on view from July 11-September 11, 2026, at Gallery 51, located at 51 Main St. in North Adams, Massachusetts. An artist's reception will be held Friday, Aug. 7, from 5-7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
 
Gallery hours and additional programming information are available at Upcoming Exhibitions.
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Berkshires Remember First Responders, Military Personnel Lost at 9/11 and Aftermath

By Jack Guerino & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre speaks at Friday's memorial. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The county's two cities held memorials on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. 

Great Barrington was scheduled to hold a dedication of piece of steel from the World Trade Center at 6 p.m.

North Adams held its ceremony in the fire station's side garden starting at exactly 8:46 a.m., the time Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.
 
The small square of grass was packed with police officers, firefighters, wire and alarm personnel, dispatchers, and Northern Berkshire EMS employees, and city employees, officials and community members. 
 
After the ceremonial tolling of the bell, an honor guard presented the colors.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said it felt odd welcoming people to a very solemn event.
 
"What happened 25 years ago put a mark on emergency services. It put additional pressure on police, fire, EMS, and dispatchers," Macksey said. "While we remember those who lost their lives during 9/11, and those who ran to help as many as they could during 9/11, we have to pause and appreciate those who continue to serve despite that awful threat that occurred 25 years ago."
 
She said it was a direct attack on the United States and all of its people.
 
"It was a question of our freedoms and our ability to be safe in our communities," the mayor said. "I can say today that here in North Adams, it could happen to us, but I know with the professionalism of our Fire Department, Police Department, EMS, and our dispatch team, we are a better community; we are a safer community than we were 25 years ago."
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